Secondary or storage battery



L. H. FLANDERS.

SECONDARY 0R STORAGE BATTERY.

APPLICATIQN FILEDSEPT. 29. 19|?. Patented Maly 27 4 SHEETS-SHEET l.

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L. H. FLANDERS.

SECONDARY 0R STORAGE BATTERY.

APP'LICAUON FILED SEPT. 29. |917.

Patented May 27, 1919. 4 SHEETS-SHEET a.

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SECONDARY 0R STORAGE BAUERY.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 29. |91 7. 1,305,084. Patented May 27,1919.

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||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| -LJ C /F H 1D..--|n1 1k .l I l 1 I I l I l l l l l I l l l( j l \n mra` r 1 LOUIS H. FLANDERS, 0F JENKINTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA..

SECONDARY 0R STORAGE BATTERY.

Application filed September 29, 1917.

To all whom it may concern Bc it known that I, LoUIs II FLANnnRs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Jenkintown, in the county of Montgomery and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Secondary or Storage Batteries, of which the following is a specification.

r[he principal objects of the present invention are, first, to insure alinement and consequent facility in driving and uniformity of bearing throughout their lengths of the wedges used for holding storage battery cells securely in place in a battery tank or tray; second, to prevent the wedges from coming into contact with the bottom of the tray or tank thereby avoiding possible short circuiting of the cells, and third, to provide, not only for keeping the cooperating wedge elements in facial contact but also for such relative lateral movement as is necessary by reason of the fact that each of them is guided in respect to a cell, tank or tray-wall in accordance with this invention.

To these and other ends, hereinafter set forth, the invention, generally stated, consists in the combination of tongue and groove elements with the .wedges and the cell or tank or tray walls, whereby the wedge members are kept in alinelnent.

The invention further consists of the improvements to be presently described and finally claimed.

In the following description reference will be made to the accompanying drawings, forming part hereof, and in which- Figure 1, is an elevational view, partly in sectiongof cells and a part of a battery tank showingV tongue elements for` the backs of the wedgesand also stop shoulders on the tongue elements- Fig. 2, is a similar view showing the groove-elements on` the backs of the wedges.

*Fig 3, is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig, 1, showing the wedge members in alinement and in place.

Fig. 4, is a sec-tional view drawn to an enlarged scale andtaken on the line 4 4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6, is anenlarged sectional view of the wedges shown at the center of Fig. 3, and illustrating amodication in which the tongue element is on the back of the wedges.

Figs. 6 and 7, are respectively a sectional. planand a sectional elevation illustrating a modification of wedge-stopping means.

Fig. 8, is aeectional elevation iliustratingA Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 27, 1919.

Serial No. 193,895.

a modification in which one of the wedge members is integral with its cooperating wall.

Fig. 9, is a side vview of a wedge suitable for use in the construction of Fig. 8.

Fig. 10, is an end view of the wedge of Fig. 11, drawn to an enlarged scale.

Fig. 11, is a side view of a modification of the wedge shown in Fig. 9.

Fig. 12, is an end view of `the wedge of Fig. 9, drawn to an enlarged scale.

Fig. 13, is a side view of another modification of the wedge shown in Fig. 9.

Fig. 14, is an end view of the wedge shown in Fig. 13, drawn to an enlarged scale.

Fig. 15, is a view partly in section of a pair of jars embodying a modification of the invention, and

Fig. 1G, is a perspective view of the wedge elements shown in dotted lines in Fig. 15.

In the drawings 1 and l, are tongue ele ments and 2, are groove elements at the backs of the wedges a and b, Figs. 1 to G, and al, Figs. 8 to 13. These tongue and groove elements hold the wedge members in alinement and cause them to bear uniformly throughout the height of the cells C, and to securel. hold the cells in the tray or battery tank The importance of this is made very clear in the case of a submarine where it is obviously imperative that the cells be securely fastened and relative motion between them be prevented. The wedges correct any bulging of the cell walls and therefore they should bear uniformly throughout the length of the wall. In driving the wedges they must remain in alinement in order to be effective for properly securing the parts in the tank or container and for supporting the jar Walls. Bulginglof the cell walls is one cause which tends to throw the wedges out of alinement as they are being driven, but by this invention alinement is insured. The ton ue elements `may be either on the backs oy the wedges as in Figs. 5 and 1()` or on the walls wlth which the wedges cooperate as in Fig. 1, and this is true of the groove elements as will be seen from Figs. 4, and 12, in which the groove elements are on the backs-.of the wedges and from the middle part of Fig. 3, in Which the groove elements are in the eoperating walls. Those of the tongue or groove elements which are formed as ribscn the cell should be ground to fiat surfaces upon which the wedges can bear and act. The wedges may be made of hard wood impregnated with paraiin. The

wedges coperate in pairs and as shown in Figs. 1 to (l, both wedges of each pair are detachable from the walls with which they cooperate. Ilowevcigin Figs. 8 to 14, one of the wedges 1, is fast on or integral with one oi' the walls and the other wedge a, is loose and not attached to any wall, but in each case the tongue and groove elements are present in respect to one wedge of each pair for preserving alinement of the wedges in respect to each other. In the assembly of a battery the ribs or grooves of the cell, tray or tank wall, frequently do not come exactly opposite each other or opposite the fixed wedge members, but the Working faces of cooperating Wedge members of a pair remain in contact, because they may partake of some relative lateralmovement. j

1n Fig. 7, 4 is a filler shown in connecg tion with the use of the invention.

The shoulders 5, on the tongue elements l, Figs. l and 8, serve as stop means for preventing the wedges :from contacting with thc bottoni of the tray or tank and the proA jecling portions G, of the insulating plates, Figs. t and T, spaced above the bottom oi' the tray or tank and arranged to be in effect parts of the cells, serve the same purpose.

In assembling a battery and tightening up the cells in place in the tank or tray, one of the Wedges of a pair, Figs. 1 to 7, inclusive, is .inserted with its broad end toward the bottom and with the tongue and groove elements at its back in proper engagement. The bottom of the wedge rests upon the stop means 5, Fig. 1, or 6, Fig. 6, which prevents the Wedge from coming into Contact with the lead lining of the tank or tray. The other Wedge of the )air is then inserted With,its narrovv end clown and With the tongue and groove elements at its back in proper engagement. Wedges are thus loosely inserted in pairs throughout a` row of cells and the projecting Wedges are gradually driven home throughout the battery until the battery is wedged in place. In case the wedges project abpve the jars they can be Withdrawn and their bottoms savved olf tov proper lengths and then put in again. In Figs. 8 to 14, Vthe Wedge of each pair which has its broad end toward the bottom isintegral with or fastened 'to one of the Walls Fig. 8, so that all that is required is to drive 1n the'other and loose Wedge of the pair Figs. 9 to 14 with the tongue and groove elements at its back in pro er engagement, and this last mentioned we ge is prevented by the stop'means 5, from reaching they bottompf the tank or tray. Ity may be remarked that the wedges of a pair may shift laterally in respect to eachother to accommodate themselves to any lack of alinement 0f the grooves or ribs with each other or with fixed Wedges, such as is almost certain lo occur in the assembly of a battery.

In Fig. 15, the wedge b, is fast on or integral with one of the walls and the other Wedge a, is shown in Fig. 16. The tongue and Urroove elements are provided by the ribs d, on the walls, and 5, are the4 stop shoulders.

What I claim is:

l. In a storage battery the con'ibination of cells, a receptacle for the cells, vertically disposed wedge members of which at least one is drivable for securing the cells in the receptacle and which are mounted for slight lateral movement, and tongueandgroove elements at the backs of the wedge members for holding them in substantial alinement and causing them to bear uni! formly throughout the height of the cells, and one of said elements being on the jars, suliwstantially as described.

Q. In a storage battery the combination of cells, a rece tacle for the cells, Wedge members for holding the cells in the recep laele and mounted for slight relative lateral movement., stop means on the cells for keej'r ing the Wedges above the level of the bot-- ioni of the receptacle, and tongue Land groove elements at the backs of the Wedge niembers for holding them in substantial alineinent and causing them to bear uniformly throughout the height of the cells, and one of said elements being on the jar, substantially as described.

3. In a storage battery the combination of cells, a rece tacle for the cells, Wedge members for ho ding the cells in the receptacle, stop shoulders on one of said elements for keeping the Wedges above the level of the bottom of the receptacle, and tongue and groove elements at the backs of the Wedge members for holding them in alinement and causing them to bear uniformly throughout the height of the cells, substantially as described.

4. In a storage battery the combination of cells, a receptacle for the cells, vertically arranged wedge members of which at least one is drivable for holding the cells in the receptacle, and tongue and roove elements consisting of ribs on the ce ls and grooves 0n the Vback of the Wedge members, substantially as described. f

5. In a storage battery the combination of ribs projecting from the cell walls and provided vvith stop shoulders, and Wed es movable and drivable in respect to t e walls and provided at their backs with rooves for the accommodation of the ri s and adapted to have their ends abut on the shoulders.

LOUIS H. FLANDERS.

Copies of this patent may be` obtained tr ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

